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PEDIATRIC LEAD EXPOSURE IN

FLINT, MICHIGAN:
A FAILURE OF PRIMARY PREVENTION
Mona Hanna-Attisha MD MPH FAAP
Hurley Childrens Hospital
Michigan State University Department of
Pediatrics and Human Development

Introducing Makayla*
12 month old girl (DOB 8/15/2014) presented last
week for her 1 year old check up. No concerns.
Lives with single mom and 2 older siblings in west
side (48504). Formula from WIC; powder mixed with
warm tap water.
Physical exam and development are normal.
Makayla receives her 1 year old vaccines and routine
lead and hemoglobin screening.
A couple days later, lead level comes back as 6 ug/
dL.
*Hypothetical scenario

Blood lead level of 6 ug/dL.


Blood lead levels (BLL) above 5 ug/dL are

considered elevated blood lead levels (EBL)


Just a few years ago (2012), 10 ug/dL was cutoff
Increasing evidence shows NO safe blood lead
level
Disproportionately impacts low income, minority
children
Primary prevention is most important

Primary Prevention
Because no measurable level of blood lead is known to

be without deleterious effects, and because once


engendered, the effects appear to be irreversible in the
absence of any other interventions, public health,
environmental and housing policies should encourage
PREVENTION of all exposure to lead.
Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call for Primary
Prevention. 2012 CDC Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning
Prevention.

What will happen to Makayla?


Vast evidence supports increased likelihood of:
Decrease in IQ
An increase in BLL from 1 to 4 ug/dL, drops mean IQ -3.7 points

Small change in mean IQ, shifts entire population IQ

distribution
Reduces high achievers IQs (>130) and increases kids with low

IQs (<70)
Implications for special education services, employment,
incarceration, life achievement, etc
Lanphear BP et al., Low-level environmental lead exposure and children's intellectual function: an
international pooled analysis. Environ Health Perspect, 2005. 113:894-9.
Fewtrell LJ, Pruss-Ustun A, Landrigan P, and Ayuso-Mateos JL, Estimating the global burden of disease of
mild mental retardation and cardiovascular diseases from environmental lead
exposure. Environmental Research, 2004. 94:120-33.

Behavioral Burden
Increased likelihood of :
ADHD behaviors
Delinquent behaviors and arrests
Total arrests and increased rates of arrests involving
violent offenses
Other health effects: hematologic, cardiovascular,

immunologic, endocrine, etc

Wright, JP, KN Dietrich, MD Ris, et al. 2008. Association of prenatal and childhood blood lead concentrations with
criminal arrests in early adulthood. PLoS Med 5(5): e101
Chen, A, B Cai, KN Dietrich, et al. 2007. Lead exposure, IQ, and behavior in urban 5-7 year-olds: Does lead affect
behavior only by lowering IQ? Pediatrics 119(3): e650-e658.
Needleman, HL, C McFarland, RB Ness, et al. 2002. Bone lead levels in adjudicated delinquents: A case control
study. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 24(6):711-717.

The Cost
For childhood lead poisoning, $5.9 million in medical care costs, as

well as an additional $50.9 billion (sensitivity analysis: $44.8$60.6


billion) in lost economic productivity resulting from reduced cognitive
potential from preventable childhood lead exposure.
The present value of Michigans economic losses attributable to lead

exposure in the 2009 cohort of 5 year-olds ranges from $3.19 (using


U.S. blood lead levels) to $4.85 billion (using Michigan blood lead
levels) per year in loss of future lifetime earnings.

Leonardo Trasande and Yinghua Liu. Reducing The Staggering Costs Of Environmental
Disease In Children, Estimated At $76.6 Billion In 2008. Health Affairs, 30, no.5 (2011):863-870
The Price of Pollution: Cost Estimates of Environment-Related Childhood Diseases in Michigan.
2010 Report by Michigan Network of Childrens Environmental Health

Lead in Water
Increasing as source of lead, because of success in

controlling other sources.


Increasing due to aging water infrastructures, change in
water sources, disinfectant uses, etc
Disproportionally impacts developmentally-vulnerable
formula-fed infants and pregnant mothers
For about 25% of infants drinking formula made from tap water at

10 ppb, blood lead would rise above the CDC level of concern of 5
micrograms/deciLiter (or ug/dL).
Increase in fetal death and reduced birth weights

Triantafyllidou, S., Gallagher. D. and Edwards, M. Assessing risk with increasingly stringent public health goals: the case
of water lead and blood lead in children. Journal of Water and Health. doi: 10.2166/wh.2013.067 58-68 (2014).
Edwards, M. Fetal Death and Reduced Birth Rates Associated with Exposure to LeadContaminated Drinking Water. Env.
Sci. and Tech. 2013 DOI: 10.1021/es4034952

RESEARCH
FINDINGS

Results of Pediatric Blood Lead Levels (BLL)

Methods
Data from all blood lead levels processed at Hurley Medical Center
HMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved
All children 5 years of age and younger
Zip codes 48501-48507
Two periods of comparison:
PRE-SWITCH: January 1, 2013 September 15, 2013
POST-SWITCH: January 1, 2015 September 15, 2015

Analyzed % Elevated Blood Lead (EBL)


EBL = Blood lead Levels > 5 g/dL

EBL analysis conducted based on scientific literature (most notably

DC lead in water exposure)

Blood Lead Level Analysis


Large sample size
N= 1746 for Flint children (pre n=906, post n=840)
N= 1670 for non-Flint children (pre n=943, post n=727)

Flint results for children 5 years and under:


PRE-SWITCH % EBL:

2.1% (consistent with MDHHS data 2.2)


POST-SWITCH % EBL: 4.0%
p < 0.05; STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

High Risk Zip Codes Results


Focus on zip codes
(48503 and 48504) with
high water lead levels
Total n=742, pre n=394,
post n=348
Results:
PRE-SWITCH % EBL:
2.5%
POST-SWITCH % EBL:
6.3%
p < 0.05; STATISTICALLY
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

What was rest of county doing?


Analysis of same time periods for Genesee County

children who live outside of City of Flint zips codes (non


48501-48507)
N=1670 for non-Flint children (pre n=943, post n=727)

Non-Flint results for children 5 years and under:


PRE-SWITCH % EBL:

0.6%
POST-SWITCH % EBL: 1.0%
p = 0.637; NO CHANGE

Blood Lead Level Analysis


% EBL all children less than 5 years of age

ALL
HIGHFLINT
RISK
(n=1746) FLINT
(n=742)

REST
NONOF
FLINT
FLINT
(n=1670)
(n=1004
)

2.1%

2.5%

1.8%

0.6%

POST-SWITCH 4.0%

6.3%

2.4%

1.0%

PRE-SWITCH

Blood Lead Level Analysis


% EBL children 15 months or less
Total Flint n=619, pre n=295, post n=324
Total Non-Flint n=816, pre n=443, post n=376

HIGHRISK
FLINT
(n=269)

REST OF NONFLINT
FLINT
(n=350)
(n=816)

PRE-SWITCH

1.5%

0.6%

0.5%

POST-SWITCH

4.4%

1.1%

0.5%

Graphical Summary
Change in % EBL Flint vs Non-Flint
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Flint

Non-Flint
Pre

Post

Graphical Summary
Change in % EBL by area
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
High-Risk Flint

Rest of Flint
Pre

Post

Non-Flint

Conclusions from BLL analysis


% of children with EBL in Flint has increased
Most striking increase in zip codes with highest water lead levels
Results underestimate risk: infants not screened for lead

and water usage unknown.


Accurate exposure largely unknown since national childhood lead

screening focuses on household lead exposure (paint, soil, dust) at


later ages (1 and 2 yrs)

Results are consistent and concerning. Primary

prevention has failed.

Next Steps
Immediately limit further exposure
Encourage breast feeding
No tap water for high risk groups: infants on formula &
pregnant mothers
Declare health advisory: allows for additional resources
and public education
Distribution of lead clearing NSF-approved filters
Public education regarding precautions (flushing, etc)
Re-connect to Lake Huron water source ASAP

And Makayla
Asymptomatic now
But what will her future hold

and an entire generation of


Flint children?

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